


Arabian Nights

by KatrinaKenyon



Category: Private Practice
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 16:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/652357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatrinaKenyon/pseuds/KatrinaKenyon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Violet acquires a new roommate and Charlotte helps Violet work through her issues. Takes place during season 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Part One:

Violet put down her book and peeled the snuggie off of her body. It was past midnight and time to go to bed. She did have to go to work tomorrow after all. She cleared the empty martini glasses off the coffee table and deposited them into the kitchen sink before heading up stairs. She tiptoed down the long hall to her bedroom, pausing at the door of her guest room. She had recently acquired a roommate, a rude, snarky, southern roommate, but a roommate none the less.

They weren't great friends, okay they weren't friends at all, but she felt sorry for the woman. Charlotte had given up everything to be with Cooper and that was an incredibly huge step for the emotionally stunted sexologist. It was sad to see such a proud and strong woman fall apart like that. So she had let Charlotte stay with her and truth be told she didn't mind the company.

She listened at the door and heard nothing but silence, but when she took a step down the hall she could hear it. It was very quiet. A soft whimper, she would have never have heard without the hush of night. The whimper was followed by a series of sniffles and then finally gasping sobs. She hadn't seen or heard the blonde cry over her recent breakup with Cooper yet. This was just unnerving. She had been sure Charlotte did not possess the full spectrum of human emotion. She sighed and slowly opened the door.

The crying stopped immediately.

"Charlotte?"

Moonlight spilled onto the pure white sheets and over the lone body that lay perfectly still beneath them. The blonde was feigning sleep, but she knew better.

"I know you're awake," she said while making her way to the bed. "I heard you crying." She climbed up onto the bed and leaned her back against the headboard.

"Are you okay," she asked softly

When she got no response she moved closer to Charlotte and rubbed the blonde's back soothingly. After a few minutes Charlotte turned on her side facing her with dry eyes. The blonde said nothing, but she somehow got that her presence was appreciated. It was later, maybe half an hour later, when she started nodding off. She shook her head and looked back down at Charlotte, who was watching her intently.

"Lay down, if you want," Charlotte told her.

She nodded and slipped beneath the sheet beside Charlotte. She closed her eyes and began to drift off. Just as she was about to slip into that sweet dark relief she heard the blonde sigh and turn over.

"Can't sleep?" She said with her eyes still closed.

"I think…I miss him," Charlotte said hesitantly.

She made a noise of agreement and scooted closer to Charlotte's warmth without touching her.

"You know I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger. That's what I was going to do. All through high school I kept planning for this great life full of exciting and exotic animals. I guess I liked animals a lot more then."

"What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked incredulously.

"I'm telling you a story. It'll take your mind off of…well, you know."

Charlotte nodded and then closed her eyes. "Go on."

"When I got to college….

0oo0oo0

She was sitting outside on the patio when Charlotte approached her the next day. It had been a hectic day in Oceanside and the blonde had opted take care of her Chief of Staff duties at St. Ambrose that day. She thought it was good for Charlotte to get away from Cooper. Hopefully the both of them would realize how madly in love they were with each other and get back together. She couldn't stand watching Charlotte fall apart and she couldn't stand the way Cooper was behaving. She didn't know what was going on with her best friend these days.

She stopped her train of thought and cleared her head. She needed to relax. She needed to watch the sunset and not think of anything.

"It's beautiful," a voice said behind her. She jumped about a foot out of her chair and whipped around to find Charlotte leaning against the sliding glass door.

"Please don't do that," she said as calmly as she could. She was still dealing with remnants of Katie's attack. Today was one of those hard days.

"Sorry," Charlotte said behind her.

"It's fine. You just surprised me."

Charlotte didn't say anything, but took a seat next to her instead. She was grateful for small favors.

She fidgeted in her seat and alternated her gaze between the sunset and her hands.

"Don't you go out anymore?" Charlotte asked her suddenly.

"Go out?" she said uncertainly.

"Like to bars. Hang out with friends? Anything?"

"No. I don't go out." She lowered her head and set her gaze to her lap. "I'm fine here."

"Right," the blonde said not believing her. "You afraid or something?"

She stood up suddenly. "I need to go inside."

She left the blonde outside and rushed to the kitchen. A glass of water would make her feel better. Cool, refreshing water. She sipped it slowly and by the time she was halfway through the glass Charlotte had decided to come back inside.

"You alright," the blonde asked.

She took a deep breath, a sip of water and then nodded.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you back there," Charlotte said while reaching out to touch her hand.

She flinched back when the blonde's hand made contact with her hand and dropped the glass of water in the process. It fell to the floor and shattered into sharp jagged pieces. The resulting sound spooked her and she ran upstairs to her bedroom. At least she hadn't run to the closet to hide.

Baby steps.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two:

Around midnight Violet unlocked her bedroom door and crept down the hall. She could hear Charlotte crying again. She felt better now. She was ready to help Charlotte in whatever way she could. She let herself into the room and slipped under the sheets without asking.

"We could talk about him," she suggested. "Or anything you want. Your childhood, your mother, Big Daddy?"

"No," Charlotte said quickly. "I don't wanna talk. I want to sleep." Charlotte moved closer to her.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened today?" Charlotte shot back at her.

"No."

Charlotte moved even closer to her and they would have touched if she hadn't flinched away from the blonde. Charlotte propped herself up on her elbow and rested her head on her hand. The blonde laid her other hand on the bed between them. She watched the small delicate hand nervously as it inched its way closer to her. She was trying not to flinch away this time. Charlotte smirked at her when she tried to slowly and discreetly edge away from her creeping hand.

"You're afraid to be touched," Charlotte said almost accusingly. "That's what it is. You can't let anyone touch you."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said unconvincingly. "I'm fine."

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," she said defensively.

She watched uneasily as Charlotte reached out and took her hand.

"It's okay," Charlotte murmured softly when that hand began to shake. "I'm not going to hurt you Violet. I promise."

"I know. I'm…crazy."

"You're not crazy."

She let the blonde trace a path up her arm, but she was tense and uneasy.

"Can I ask you something?" The blonde asked while moving her hand to trace her side.

"Are you the therapist now?" she mumbled bitterly.

"Well, if I was you'd make a horrible patient." Charlotte paused and watched her shift to get further away. "When was the last time you had sex?"

"Um, the Captain, but I cried after. What? You think I need sex to get better? And I'm not sleeping with you," she added quickly.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "You're not that lucky. No, I was thinking that you can't let anyone get close to you physically or personally. You push everyone away. Maybe if you got past the physical thing you might be able to let people in. 'Sides the no touching thing is easier to deal with than the relationship thing."

"You're pretty good at this, the therapist thing."

Charlotte shrugged. "I try. Can I see it?"

She knew the blonde was referring to the scar. She rolled over onto her back and let Charlotte tug up the hem of her sleeping shirt. She shivered when she felt the blonde trace her fingers along the smooth shiny scar.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte said not looking at her.

"You didn't do it."

"Cooper was right there and I called him away from you. He could have…"

She cut Charlotte off. "It's not your fault." She closed her eyes and let the blonde run her fingers up and down her stomach.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked.

"Sure."

"Sometimes I wish I had died that day."

Charlotte didn't say anything. The blonde just leaned down and placed kisses along the scar on her stomach. Charlotte's lips felt warm and hot against her skin and she was finally feeling something that wasn't bad or scary.

She made a noise of complaint when the blonde pulled away from her and sat up.

"Do you wanna work through some of your issues?" Charlotte asked her.

She nodded yes. She could do with fewer issues. Charlotte stripped off her oversized sleeping shirt and revealed the pink lace panties she had gone to bed in. The blonde was beautiful she admitted to herself as she eyed Charlotte's naked torso.

"I've only done this with a woman once before," she blurted out as Charlotte straddled her hips.

"Aren't you just full of surprises today," Charlotte whispered in her ear.

0oo0oo0

Violet went to work the next day feeling more relaxed than she had in a while. Working through her issues had been helpful, among other things. She made her way to the break room and gathered the things she needed to make tea.

Cooper strolled in a couple minutes later looking for something to snack on. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite from it. She filled up the electric kettle and then went to stand by Cooper as she waited.

"Slow day?" He asked her.

"Not really. I just have a little down time before my next patient."

"That's good," he said, reaching over to give her a pat on the back. His hand stopped a few inches away from her back, hovering hesitantly.

"It's okay. You can touch me you know." She smiled at him just in case he was still unsure. After a moment's deliberation he gave her a gentle pat on the back. She sighed, he obviously didn't believe her. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I'm okay Coop. Really, I am."

"You are, aren't you?" He said into her hair.

She untangled herself from him and grinned. "I feel like I can move forward. I want to get better and not just exist from day to day."

"I'm proud of you Vi."

"Me too."

0oo0oo0

Charlotte passed a smiling Violet on her way into the break room where she met another smiling person.

"She just hugged me," Cooper told her almost in disbelief.

She nodded and grabbed her mug from the cabinet. "She's makin' progress." She poured herself coffee, added cream and sugar and turned back around to see Cooper staring at her.

"What?" She said annoyed.

"You did something to help her, didn't you?" He asked, forgetting that they were still broken up and fighting.

She shrugged. "Might have done a little somethin'. It's no big deal."

"Yes it is!" He came at her and swept her into a hug before she could get away. If she hadn't missed him so much she wouldn't have melted into him. The hug lasted longer than it should have and she didn't know whether it was her doing or his. Her cheeks were flushed when she finally let go and a rush of emotions overcame her.

"I have to…see a patient," she muttered while fleeing from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three:

When Violet came into Charlotte's room that night, the blonde wasn't crying. She was quiet and staring at the ceiling. She noticed Charlotte had been quiet all day and wondered if there was anything she could do for her.

"You're so quiet tonight."

"Just thinking," Charlotte said not taking her eyes off the ceiling.

"About Cooper?" She said helpfully.

"Are you going to get in?" Charlotte said instead.

She smiled a little and then climbed into the bed. "You're naked," she said surprised.

The blonde chuckled and moved closer to her until they were touching. She didn't flinch this time, just as she hadn't flinched all day. She was really making progress. She picked up the blonde's hand and kissed it gently.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the sappy gesture, but didn't remove her hand.

"I'm going to see a therapist tomorrow," she blurted out. "I think I need help with…everything. I want to be myself again."

"That's good," Charlotte said as she leaned down to kiss her collar bone.

"So, how was your day?"

Charlotte huffed in frustration. "It was okay," Charlotte said before she returned to kissing along her neck.

"You're quiet and you didn't even touch your dinner tonight. You're upset about Cooper. Did you fight with him today?"

"No, no. We ah…hugged. We hugged and I can't sleep. It's ridiculous."

"That's different," she said thoughtfully. "Do you want me to tell you a story, so you can sleep tonight?"

"I had something else in mind," Charlotte purred.

She shivered in response, but said, "You need to sleep, more than I need to feel good. You're exhausted."

Charlotte sighed and moved back over to her side of the bed. "I hate it when you're right. Tell me about when you were a kid. Bet you were an awkward little thing."

"I was not," she protested. "I was just loud and kind of crazy. I had so much energy. Me and my neighbor used to just run around for hours. God, we had so much fun. His name was Matt, I think. He moved into the house next to ours…"

0oo0oo0

It was a little past lunch time and Charlotte still hadn't eaten. She just didn't feel like eating. She wasn't depressed exactly. She felt empty. She hadn't realized just how a big a part of her life Cooper was. She hadn't realized that she needed him to get through the day.

She was feeling a little woozy and felt like now would be a great time to get something to eat. She made a shaky path to the break room and leaned on the island counter for balance. She closed her eyes, hoping the room would stop spinning when she opened them again.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up to see Cooper standing across from her.

"I'm just peachy damn keen," she grumbled while pushing away from the counter.

He raised his hands in surrender. "I was just asking."

She rolled her eyes and tried to walk to the refrigerator. She never reached it. The ground slipped from beneath her and everything went white and then black.

0oo0oo0

Cooper looked at the delicate frame of his ex-girlfriend on the ground. She had fainted in front of him. He had always thought that Charlotte was invincible, made out of steel, but looking at her like this made him realize just how fragile she was.

He scooped her up before anyone had a chance to see her like this and cradled her body in his arms. She was weightless. He felt like he was carrying nothing as he quickly strode over to his office. He lowered her body gently onto his office couch and hoped she was comfortable.

He went back to the break room and grabbed some fruit and a bottle of water. She must have been hungry. He remembered all the times when he had brought her food because he knew she had forgotten to eat something that day. He couldn't understand how she could forget to eat. When he was hungry he had to eat something right away or he would turn into a monster.

He kneeled beside Charlotte and began to peel the banana.

0oo0oo0

The first thing Charlotte smelled when she awakened from her little dizzy spell was banana. She thought it was odd, but when she felt a slice of that fruit pressed against her lips she opened her mouth and chewed.

"Hungry," someone asked her.

Her eyes snapped open when she realized someone was actually there and feeding her. God, she was embarrassed.

"Cooper?" she asked. Her vision was still a little blurry.

"Yep. Feeling any better?"

"My head hurts," she whined.

Cooper smiled at her or at least it looked like he was smiling at her. "That's because you hit your head pretty hard when you fainted."

"Passed out," she corrected. "Fainting is for delicate little pansies."

"Which you are clearly not," he said amused. "Here eat some more." He brought another piece up to her lips. "Go on, eat."

She finished the banana and then at another, followed by an entire bottle of water.

"Better," Cooper asked.

"I'm still a little hungry," she admitted.

"I'll make you a sandwich. Can you sit up?"

She nodded and then regretted the motion when it made her dizzy.

"Maybe you should stay lying down."

She closed her eyes as she waited for him to return. She needed food and a good long nap. She wondered if Cooper would be kind enough to take her home because there was no way she could drive without causing an accident.

Cooper returned with a sandwich and fed it to her bite by bite even though she was fully capable of holding the sandwich herself.

"Do you think you could give me a ride home? I don't have any more patients for the day anyway."

He cupped her face in his hand and searched her eyes. "No problem."

0oo0oo0

Violet had ended her day early so that she could get to her appointment on time. She pressed the close door button on the elevator and waited. It went down a floor and the doors opened again to reveal Pete holding Lucas.

"Going home for the day?" He asked.

Lucas turned in her direction and gave her a big toothless baby smile.

"Actually, I'm going to see my therapist."

Pete looked over at her in surprise. "That's good."

Lucas flailed his little arm and reached out toward her. She smiled and let him grab her index finger. "Yeah, I just need a little help," she admitted.

"You look like you're doing better," Pete said while watching her play with Lucas. This was the first time she had shown any interest in her son. Something was happening with Violet. She really was moving forward.

The doors slide open and they walked out to the parking lot together. They didn't say anything, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. She wanted to ask if she could hold Lucas, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. She dug through her purse for her keys while Pete waited so that he could say good bye.

"Got it," she exclaimed as she pulled her keys out of the jungle that was the inside of her bag.

Lucas gurgled happily in Pete's arms and reached his little hand out again, only this time for the keys in her hand. She smiled shyly and jingled the keys for her son.

"I should probably go. I don't want to be late."

She looked at Lucas one more time and couldn't resist placing a kiss on his little chubby cheek. "Bye Lucas. Bye Pete."


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four

When she opened her eyes, Charlotte felt a little disoriented. The sun was shining through the venetian blinds, leaving strips of light and dark on her patterned quilt. It was daytime and she was at home, in her bed and not at work. She couldn't understand this.

"You passed out. Don't you remember?"

She jumped back in surprise with her head bashing against the headboard. "Oh shit!"

"Hey, take it easy."

Once she had gotten over the initial pain, she snapped her head quickly in the direction of the voice. Her eyes, which were wide with fear, only caught a glimpse of someone in sitting in the corner.

"Char, it's only me."

She squinted and through hazy vision made out Cooper's face. If she didn't have a concussion before, she definitely had one now. She sighed in relief and slide back under her quilt.

"You scared me," she said with her eyes closed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you okay? It sounded like you hit your head pretty hard."

She felt him move up onto the bed beside her when she said nothing. Rough hands brushed a few loose stands of hair away from her face and gentle lips placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I passed out," she mumbled after awhile.

"What?"

She opened her eyes to watch him. "You said I fainted."

He grinned. "Right, because fainting is for pansies, which you are clearly not."

She couldn't stop the small smile that graced her lips. "Right."

"Are you all right," he asked her again.

"I don't know. I think I might have a mild concussion. Maybe."

He nodded and she allowed him to poke and prod her until he confirmed her diagnosis.

0oo0oo0

When Violet came home, the sun was just beginning to set. The sky was alight with fire reds and oranges. She had just finished her session with her therapist. It went exactly like she thought it would. It was her first session so they just went over what happened to her on that dark day. The memory played over and over again until it became a just a story. Next week they would discuss the current problems she had in depth. She didn't feel sad or scared after this session, but she didn't feel joyous either.

She noticed that there was a car in her driveway that belonged to neither her nor Charlotte. She recognized it as Cooper's, but didn't understand why he was here.

She entered her house and put her purse and canvas bag down before calling out Cooper's name. Before he met Charlotte, she used to find him over at her house all the time. She missed those times, but she really missed when Cooper and Charlotte were together in somewhat healthy and stable relationship, when she had the house all to herself.

She figured that he must be upstairs, most likely up to no good. So she went up, checked her bedroom and then Charlotte's bedroom.

"Oh," she said when she found him, curled up behind the small sleeping form of her roommate.

Cooper put a finger to his lips urging her to keep silent. She watched as he carefully untangled himself from Charlotte and tip-toed over to the doorway. They moved down to the kitchen so that they could talk without disturbing the sleeping beauty.

"So, are you guys back together or something?" She asked while grabbing two cans of soda from the fridge. She threw one to Cooper who almost nearly dropped it. She chuckled at his clumsiness.

"Don't let her go to work tomorrow. She's concussed."

She let him deflect. "What happened?"

"She fa- passed out today and hit her head. Are you feeding her enough?"

"She's not a dog Cooper." She chuckled and then in a more serious tone, "She hasn't been eating a lot lately and she hasn't been sleeping well. What did you expect Cooper? You dumped her and you didn't do it nicely. She's heartbroken."

"I know. I just-." He let out a sigh of frustration and ran a hand over his face. "I screwed everything up. I-I've never been in a serious relationship before, at least not a good one. I panicked and I ruined everything."

She sighed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you love her?"

"More than everything."

"Then fix it."

0oo0oo0

When Charlotte woke up again, she was curled up against Cooper with her head resting on his chest and his hand stoking her hair. She let out a little sleepy moan and nuzzled his chest with her cheek.

"Violet's home," he said above her.

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry."

She knew what he was sorry for, but she wanted to hear it so, she stayed silent.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you and the way I treated you. I was a monster Char. Apologizing isn't enough, but I promise…I'll fix this. I'll make it up to you somehow. I love you."

She sighed. "I love you too, even if you are an idiot."

He chuckled and she felt it rumble through his chest. "I am a pretty big idiot," he agreed.

0oo0oo0

Violet waited an hour after Cooper had left to make her way over to Charlotte's room. She was quite aware that the blonde didn't need her comfort anymore, now that Cooper and Charlotte had reached some kind of understanding, but she was in need of comfort tonight.

She was tired. She knew she was tired. Her body was tired, her mind was tired and yet she lay in bed for nearly two hours trying not to think about how scared she had felt as Katie laid out the surgical supplies she would use that day or how warm her blood had felt as it pooled around her body, but mostly she tried not to remember how empty she'd felt after Lucas was cut out of her and taken away.

She knocked on the door lightly before letting herself in. The sexologist was in her bed, reading from papers that lay in a manila folder on her lap. She briefly wondered if Charlotte should be sitting up and reading in her condition.

The blonde put away the file and then rolled her eyes as if she knew what Violet was thinking. "I was beginnin' to think you weren't coming. Would've missed story time sorely," Charlotte drawled. "It was starting to feel like the Arabian Nights here."

Violet chuckled. "I'm not your personal Scheherazade. You don't get a story every night."

"Then, if I remember the correctly, you'd have to find another way to entertain me if you want live." The blonde threw in a seductive smile just for good measure.

Violet rolled her eyes, but got in to the bed regardless. She was careful not to look directly into Charlotte's eyes. She didn't want the blonde to know that she had regressed. Charlotte stayed silent for a few moments before pulling her into an embrace.

"Guess, I'll have to tell you a story tonight," Charlotte murmured above her.

She tried to tell Charlotte that she had that day playing over and over again in her head, but she couldn't make the words come out right. "I –I went…to my therapist a-and…"

"Shh, just sleep."

She nodded her head and shut her eyes tightly, but all she could think about was that day and every crappy day that followed after.

"I'm a terrible mom," she said suddenly "What kind of mom abandons her child?"

"You were just doing what was right for Lucas. You had his best interests at heart. That's good parenting."

"He doesn't even know I'm his mother."

"It's not too late. You have time. Now, hush up and go to sleep. I have to get up early for work tomorrow."

"Charlotte, you have a concussion," she said incredulously.

"Good Lord," the blonde exclaimed. "I just had little bump on the head. You and Cooper act like I've gone and gotten myself hit by a car or something. Now shut your eyes and go to sleep."

She didn't even try this time. She had no intention of slipping into a nightmare.

"You used to hate me," she said instead.

Charlotte sighed in annoyance. "I used to think you were competition for my boyfriend."

"Eww."

Charlotte chuckled. "I know that now."

"Will you be moving out then, now that you and Cooper are back together?" She held her breath as she waited for Charlotte to reply. She didn't want to be alone again, even if it meant living with the moody Southern blonde.

Charlotte rubbed her back soothingly. "I'll be stickin' around a little longer. I plan on makin' him work for me. He has a lot to make up for."

She listened to the blonde talk about herself and Cooper some more and somewhere along the way she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Part Five:

It was the screaming that woke Charlotte, not the thrashing around. Beside her, Violet was tangled in the sheets, screaming and moving all about. She could only imagine what horrors Violet was experiencing in her dreams.

"Violet! Violet, wake up!"

The therapist's eyes snapped open, looking in her direction, but not seeing her. She reached out to try and comfort her roommate, but Violet lashed out at her, hitting her on the face before violently shoving her off the bed. Charlotte landed hard on the wood floor beneath her. She was only lucky that her head didn't strike the floor for a third time. She cautiously brought a slender hand up to her face to feel the extent of her injuries. She pulled back a hand that was sticky with blood.

She groaned. "God, my nose."

"Where is he?" Violet shouted from the bed. "Where did she take him?"

Charlotte stayed on the ground for fear of being struck again. She was worried that Violet was stuck in some sort of trance. She wasn't a therapist. She didn't know what the procedure was for a situation like this.

"Violet, it's me, Charlotte. Your roommate. Remember?"

"Charlotte?" Violet said with uncertainty in her voice.

She let out a sigh of relief. This PTSD attack was something she could handle, just not alone.

"Yeah, that's me."

She wiped away the rivulets of blood that had gotten past her lips and onto her chin. She didn't think her nose was broken, just extremely bruised. She risked a glance back up at the bed only to see fearful brown eyes peering down at her.

"Where is he?" The therapist asked again.

"Violet, he's with his father. Lucas is safe and happy and with Pete. You were just having a bad dream. That's all."

She hissed in pain and another rivulet of blood dripped down her face and onto her sleeping shirt.

The therapist went silent above, taking her words into consideration.

"You're bleeding," Violet said in surprise.

"Yeah, well, you hit me." She winced. She hadn't meant for that to come out so snidely.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Violet's voice began to tremble and she knew it wouldn't be long until the therapist started to cry. "I just want Lucas… and Pete. Please, Charlotte?"

She wasn't sure why Violet was asking her this, but she had to do something to help. "Can you get me a towel or something? I'll call Pete. Alright?" She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand while Violet scurried away to find something to clean off the blood. Thankfully, Pete picked up on the first ring.

"Charlotte?" She heard a groggy voice say.

"You need to come here."

"Charlotte its two o'clock in the morning."

"It's Violet, she needs you and she needs to see Lucas."

"Why should-."

"Pete, please. I need help over here."

He went silent for a moment and then, "I'll be there in ten minutes."

She ended the call in time to see a shaken Violet approach her with a wet cloth. The therapist crouched down silently in front of her and began to clean up her face. Violet was gentle, stopping only when she let out another hiss of pain.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." She glanced down at the cloth in Violet's hand. It had turned a brilliant shade of red. Pink tinted droplets of water fell to the floor beside Violet while she waited for the pain to subside.

"I hate this," the therapist said angrily. "I hate being like this. I didn't want to be this fucking mess!" The cloth in Violet's hand began to leak more as her grip tightened on it.

She reached out and took the cloth away from Violet. The therapist slumped over, defeated.

"Vi, it's okay. Pete and Lucas are comin' real soon." Violet said nothing, did nothing. No response at all. She wasn't sure Violet had even heard her. She sighed and pulled Violet into her arms.

0oo0oo0

Pete didn't know what he was expecting. Charlotte hadn't told him much, but what he was not expecting was Charlotte answering the door with dried blood all over the lower portion of her face, wearing a shirt that was also stained with blood.

"What happened to you?" He asked while handing her the diaper bag and stepping into the house.

"Violet had a particularly bad dream."

He let out a huff of laughter. "I'll say."

She glared at him and then set the diaper bag down on the dining room table. Pete watched as she leaned on the table and closed her eyes for a second.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I may be a little concussed too. I passed out earlier today and hit my head."

He set Lucas down on the floor and moved to the blonde's side. "Here, let me see."

Charlotte swatted his hand away. "I'm fine. Cooper took care of me," she said quickly.

"So…you two are back together now?"

"Seems that way."

"Good," he said while reaching down for Lucas.

The blonde arched a pale eyebrow in response.

"I mean, I'm happy for you."

The blonde just smirked at him. He didn't know how Violet put up with her every day. He heard his son gurgle happily and looked down to see him reaching out to Charlotte. The blonde smiled softly and tousled Lucas's fine hair. So, maybe she had a sweet side.

"She's upstairs in my room. Go on up. I'm about to leave soon, give you two some privacy."

He thanked Charlotte and made his way to Violet. He hoped she was in better shape than Charlotte. He had hoped she was doing better. It seemed like everything was going well. She wanted to better. She was going to a therapist and she was showing interest in their son. He could see progress being made. But now…he just didn't know.

0oo0oo0

Charlotte didn't have to punch in Cooper's number because she had never taken it off her speed dial. She wasn't going back to him permanently, not yet anyway, but there wasn't anyone else she would want to stay with.

"Cooper, it's me. Can you come pick me up?"

"What happened?"

"Just let me come home tonight?"

"Yeah," he said warmly. "Come home."

0oo0oo0

Pete scanned the guest room, Charlotte's room now, but Violet was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if maybe she was hiding in a closet somewhere. To his relief, he found her sitting on the floor with her back against the nightstand.

"You came," she said in disbelief.

He crouched down to her level and wiped away the fresh tears that were streaming down her face. "Of course I came." I love you. There was no denying it. No matter how crazy she got, he would always love her.

"I hit Charlotte," she sniffled.

"I saw," he chuckled. "Guess she won't be messing with you anymore."

She smiled a little at him. He couldn't help, but think how beautiful she looked when she smiled. Her smile was always so bright and honest.

"Stop that. She's a good friend. She didn't even complain." She paused. "Can I hold Lucas? Can I hold our son, please?"

He nodded yes. "Come on let's get on the bed first."

"I had a really bad nightmare," she told him. "But I'm going to get better Pete. No more crazy head. I can't live like that anymore. I'm going to get better. And I…I'm going to be a part of Lucas's life. She almost took him away from me. I-I…"

He shushed her gently and put Lucas in her arms. "You've had a long night Violet. You can tell me about it in the morning. You just need to rest and be with your son."

"And you," She said timidly. She sounded hopeful. If she was going to make an effort, then he could do the same. He had almost lost faith in her, just almost, but he had never really given up on her. She was always in his heart.

"And me," he agreed.

"Thank you."

He watched her gaze down at Lucas and, for the first time since she left her son, recognize him as the precious life that she helped create. He was no longer part of the tragedy that happened that day.

She grinned in earnest as she looked down at their son. "He's so beautiful," she said in a voice thick with tears. "I'm so sorry Pete. I'm sorry for everything."

He searched her eyes and found that she was speaking the truth. He had been waiting for this day, the day were they could start being a family again.

"I know you are, Vi. It's okay." He gave her a smile of his own and leaned over to kiss her. "I missed you."

He sat beside her and watched her talk and play with their son. Lucas's seemed very happy about it. He was cooing and gurgling and flailing his arms around excitedly. This moment was perfect. He would remember it always.

It was only when Violet yawned that he noticed how fatigued she really was. "Come on you two. It's time for bed. Is the crib still set up in your room?"

"Yeah."

When Lucas was all tucked in and he had change into his night clothes, he crawled into bed next to Violet and wrapped his arms around her. She was asleep within seconds and he had a feeling that there would be no more bad dreams for Violet tonight.

The End


End file.
